The Senate Public Accounts Committee has sounded the alarm over the disappearance of at least 3,900 firearms from the Nigeria Police Force, including AK-47 rifles feared to be in the hands of criminal elements.
The revelation came on Tuesday during a review of the Auditor-General’s report, which uncovered multiple financial and operational infractions within the force. Among these were contract irregularities amounting to ₦1.136 billion and the unaccounted-for weapons.
Assistant Inspector General of Police (Budget), Abdul Suleiman, assured lawmakers that the force had responded to the audit queries. However, tensions flared when some senators demanded full disclosure of the missing weapons, while others called for a closed-door session due to the security implications.
The disagreement came to a head when Senator Ningi called for an executive session but later stormed out of the meeting after a majority of lawmakers insisted on public accountability.
Senator Victor Umeh condemned the police for failing to track the missing firearms, stressing that such negligence posed a grave threat to national security.
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“Thousands of AK-47s are missing at a time when insecurity is at its peak. If over 3,900 rifles are unaccounted for, it means our security is compromised,” Umeh warned.
In response, the police claimed that some of the missing firearms belonged to officers who were killed in action, insisting that no weapons had been deliberately lost.
Unsatisfied with the explanation, the committee has summoned the Inspector General of Police to appear before it on Monday for further clarification.